His Wings
by theprofiler
Summary: [Pre-Apocalypse] Daryl is a drifter running away from his problems and passing through town to town. Sarah is the family failure after becoming an art major. A bar fight, a bike and some smokes and neither lives will ever be the same. [Daryl x OC]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One – Disputes **

Sarah sat down across from her parents, daring them with narrowed eyes to say what they were really thinking about her newly relinquished information.

Her mother's back was a rigid board as her eyes stared off in the distance behind her only daughter and her right hand was pawing around at her husband in search of some sort of security. Sarah's father on the other hand was glaring at her through thick rimmed glasses and with every passing moment, Sarah could swear that his face was turning a deeper shade of red.

"So," she started trying very hard to limit the sarcasm. "Are we having a staring contest or are one of you actually going to say something?"

Now she had both of her parent's attention completely on her once again. Her mother open and closed her mouth repeatedly like a fish out of water, but no sort of noise came out causing Sarah to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Please tell me this is some sort of joke," her father finally spoke, his words booming at her. "Tell me that for the last three years, I have not been paying for you to be running around with that stupid camera of yours taking pictures of god knows what!"

She blinked at him and leaned back on the "good" couch. "Why am I going to tell you a lie?"

The man stood up with such force, that her mother had to wince back to avoid any oncoming blows that were to come with his words. "Because you have been lying to us this whole time! You've lied to us about everything!"

Even though he was shouting, the young brunette before him didn't even flinch. Instead she sat there, arms crossed and let him repeat over and over again about how she did the family wrong. She came prepared for this and kept having to remind herself that it could have been a lot worse than it is.

When his voice lowered, as well as the rest of his body and his wife was able to wrap an arm around his bicep to try and keep him in his place, did Sarah speak again.

"Are you done with the shouting?" she asked.

The blue in her mother's eyes deepened and now it was her turn to speak, just she chose to do it without actual words. Something about living in this lifestyle will do that to a person, but right now her eyes warned her daughter that she better watch her tongue.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the conversation she had with her best friend earlier in the week. When she opened them again, she knew that she could do this and no matter what happened she deserved to be happy with her choices.

"Yes, I am not going to medical school after I graduate this year." Her father huffed and looked away from her. "I was never studying Biology when I was in school. Freshman year, I took an intro class and just decided that it wasn't for me, but I found my real passion in art."

A skinny arm seemed to flail in the air for a moment, "You can't make a living off of painting trees and taking silly pictures Sarah!" Her mother's voice was extremely shrill, like maybe she had been wound up too tight.

_Deep breath, _Sarah reminded herself. "Actually you can. And according to several of my professors I have a real talent with the camera and -"

She was cut off by her father standing once again and crossing the room in a fluid moment, placing him directly in front of her. It was right then that Sarah realized how much her father had aged in the last three years. He had wrinkles around his mouth making it look like he was permanently frowning at the world and there was a lot more gray running through his hairline than she remembered.

It was his eyes that seemed to bother her the most about his newer appearance; they were hardened. They were not the same brown eyes that lit up when she came home from school as a child, excited to watch movies and color with him while her mother made dinner in the kitchen or the same ones that watered up when she graduated middle school.

Instead they looked cold and empty, and in this moment, like they hated her.

"Sarah, I will not be hearing anymore of this tonight. We can discuss it later." Each word weighed heavy in the air around them while she continued to stare intently at the man she was supposed to respect the most.

It was now Sarah's turn to rise and her frame looked laughable against her father's tall, broad one, but she needed to stand her ground for once; literally. "There is nothing to talk about, _father_."

When her father opened his mouth again, Sarah turned on her heel and headed towards the front entrance of their house, grabbing up her purse in the process.

"Where do you think you are going?" Her mother's voice screeched at her.

Deciding that it was in better judgment that they didn't know where she was headed, she let the door slam shut as she made her grand exit.

Sarah didn't have a car, so it only made sense that she kept on walking to her destination. She grew up in the small town of Marietta and was thankful that she knew of many paths that she took as a child to visit friends and even the drugstore to steal candy that her parents wouldn't allow her to have before dinner.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of her parents and how their relationship used to be, but just when she was about to allow herself to feel horrible about the life choices she was making – one of her favorite places came into view.

_The Dusty Boot_ was a small town bar. Nothing too fancy, but it did well enough with the business that the recession didn't even phase them. Besides it probably helped that the owner had a son who would slip some of the good stuff to any pretty young thing that walked through the door.

Upon pulling the front door open, Sarah took a heavy inhale and remembered that this place really lived up to its name. The air had a stale musty smell to it and with the lot of farmers that would pass through leaving behind the heavy smell of a day's work.

"Sarah!" came a deep voice from behind the bar. "Jason didn't tell me you were in town this summer!"

Peeking through the small crowd of people already at the bar, Sarah could see a short, stout man with a flushed face and balding head waving his hands above his head in her direction. The excitement of Mr. Jacobs was heartwarming.

"Hey Mister J," she smiled at the bartender as she approached an empty bar stool next to a man with a worn down leather vest on. "My summer plans fell through this year, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to come home for one last visit before I graduate."

The older man smiled solemnly at her. Sarah had spent many nights here with his son getting drunk on cheap liquor and expressing her worries with anyone who would listen over the last three years. He knew more than he should about her life.

"Can I get you the usual?" he asked.

Sarah simply nodded her head and leaned back gently on the stool. She closed her eyes as she waited for the heavy glass to clink on the wooden surface in front of her. She could hear the man sitting next to her, shifted in his seat slightly, accidently brushing her arm in the process.

"Sorry ma'am," he mumbled in a heavy southern accent.

Sarah barely even acknowledge him before, but still gave him a courtesy smile. The man at least had the proper manners to realize when contact isn't wanted, but the bar area was small enough it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Just as her Jack and Coke was placed in front of her, another voice seemed to make its way out of the back of the bar. "Well, well, if it isn't little Miss Sarah Allen."

She couldn't help the instant eye roll that occurred. For a brief moment, she thought about the consequences of turning around and facing the voice, but decided that her day was just destined to go downhill.

The stool squeaked as she pushed it outward and turning her whole body towards the boy. She should have known that David Harlen would be bumming it out around the same place that they met years ago.

Her voice was curt and bland when she spoke. "David."

A boy stumbled forward from the shadows of the backroom. His face read that he probably hadn't sleep in about a year and yet his hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed. "Fancy running into you here, ain't it?"

Once again the eye roll was just instinct with this kid. "Not really. The Boot is closer to my house than some of the inner city places."

He hiccupped and took another unsteady step in her direction. "So you are home for the summer than pretty little lady?"

Sarah sighed already, tired of this conversation. "Yes David, I am home for the summer. Sadly."

Somewhere between his question and her answer, he managed to make his way over to her. Against her will, he reached a hand out to her and not so gently, rested it on her shoulder. "Don't be upset little darlin'. We could just shack up together like we did right out of high school."

She cringed at his words and at his unwanted touch. "David," she moved trying to get away from his grip, but his hand tightened on her shoulder. "I don't think that would be a good idea right now."

Something behind his eyes flashed in the dimly lit bar. "What? You think just because you went off to some high up college that you deserve better than me?"

In this moment, Sarah realized that The Dusty Boot had gone completely quiet. Even though people weren't turned in her direction, it was very clear that everyone was trying to get a good ear on what her response was going to be.

With pleading eyes she looked in the direction of Mr. Jacobs who seemed to be busying himself with a cloudy glass. Seeing that she wouldn't be getting an out any time soon, she brought her gaze back to boy in front of her. "I'm not saying anything David."

Deciding that heading out to a bar when she was frustrated may not have been the healthiest choice, Sarah tried to reach for her purse in an efforts to leave. David seemed to have other plans though seeing as his grip got harder with her movement.

"C'mon darlin', just one more night of hot passionate lovin'." He smirked seeing the slow blush creep up her neck.

"No," she snapped, making sure that she had full eye contact with him. "That was a mistake. You were a mistake."

David could not hold back the drunken rage that was eating him away. He quickly shoved Sarah hard against the wall, using all of his body weight to hold her there. Sarah wasn't going to give in easily though and welcomed the thought of a challenge.

"Oh, I was the mistake," David paused and looked around the bar making sure that he had everyone's attention. "You weren't saying that when you were screaming my name for a month straight."

Sarah's face flushed, but not out of embarrassment, this time it was nothing my pure anger. "Get your fucking, dirty hands off me."

David wiggled an eyebrow suggestively. "Make me, darlin'."

The man who was sitting next to Sarah at the bar stood up suddenly and faced the pair against the wall. Sarah couldn't get a good look at his face, but could see that he was significantly taller than David and herself.

The tall man took three heavy steps towards David and tapped him hard on the shoulder. "I believe the girl said she wanted nothing to do with you, mate."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Smoke**

The man with the shadowed face and leather vest who had been sitting next to Sarah only moments ago, watched as David ignored his words and continued to stare at the woman he was pinning against the wall.

"Don' make me repeat myself," he threatened with a heavy drawl.

Sarah watched as David ran his tongue over the length of his teeth before very begrudgingly turning to face the other man, while leaving his hand steadily on Sarah's shoulder. "I believe that this lil' heart to heart doesn't involve you, 'mate.'"

The man smirked like he was laughing at his own personal joke before taking a step forward causing David's hand to slip from her shoulder. It was taking everything for her not to let out a sigh of relief and if she knew the same David from high school, she knew that things were only about to get worse from here.

Sarah's mind was screaming at her to move, to get anywhere far away from this situation, but her feet seem to be resisting the thought, practically digging her heels into the floor boards.

She watched as David moved closer to the man who was still smirking at himself. All sound in Sarah's comprehending brain had been turned off. It was like she was watching her favorite television show on mute because she saw David's mouth move, but she couldn't make out the words.

The next few moments happened all too quick.

David got really up in the mysterious man's face. The man smiled darkly and looked in Sarah's direction briefly, but she didn't allow herself to really take in his features before all sound came rushing back to her ear drums with a hearty crunch of what sounded like David's nose being broken.

All at once, The Boot fell quiet. Everyone, including Mr. Jacobs stared at the men standing only a couple feet before Sarah. Well, David was more hunched over, squealing like a baby pig about how he couldn't stop the bleeding, but from a quick look around – no one was really rushing to help him.

"You fucking asshole," he seethed through clenched teeth.

Once again, the man in the leather vest did nothing, but smile at him. Without another word, everyone watched as he turned back to his bar stool, nodded at the local bartender and quickly downed what was left of his amber colored drink before turning on his heel and heading towards the exit.

This time Sarah's feet couldn't seem to move quick enough to follow his lead away from all the judgmental stares. She followed at a steady pace, but her mouth was parched of all words, so she used this moment to really take in what the man looked like, at least from behind.

From the distance, and what she could see in the bar, she knew he was a taller man. He practically tower over David when he tried to get in his face; like a small child trying to reach the Christmas presents from the top shelf of the closet. The vest he was wearing looked to have worn out angel wings that stretched the length of his torso, and his arms looked to be very built and toned. It was no wonder it only took one swing for David to be on the floor.

The man suddenly stopped and Sarah held her breath. "Is there any reason you're followin' me?" he asked into the night.

Sarah knew the question was for her, but once again she couldn't bring herself to speak. Not once had anyone ever felt the need to stand up for her in her entire life. She always was told that the only way to get somewhere in life was to stand up for herself and her beliefs and, yet, her own parents said they can't handle her doing something she is passionate about.

The man took her silence as a concern and turned around to face Sarah. He turned thinking that he was going to see some scared little girl who wanted to thank him for helping her out, but instead he saw the small brunette with cinched eyebrows and a pursed mouth.

He sauntered to where she stood frozen in the parking lot. "Can I help you with somethin'?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes and continued to glare at him. She still couldn't make out much of his face as dusk had fallen over the town, but she see that his hair was short, but shaggy and he had something like a five o'clock shadow running over his chin.

She didn't think before she spoke. "I didn't need your help back there."

This got a hearty chuckle from the man. He laughed until he looked like he was almost on the verge of tears and clutching his stomach for air. "Now, that isn' what I saw."

Almost like instant déjà vu, Sarah took a giant step forward towards the man. She held her chin up high and pushed her chest out, sizing up the fellow. "You didn't even allow for anything else to happen. That was just the start of it."

The leftover smirk that was still plastered on his face, vanished in an instant. "I saw a silly little girl, pinned against the wall with no chance of gettin' away. But you're righ', you had it all under control."

The pair stared at each other intensely for a moment before she found herself producing word vomit once again. "What's your name?"

"I don' see why you need to know tha'."

Another step closer and Sarah could almost brush her chin to his rising and falling chest. "You 'helped' me," she smirked. "The least you can do is tell me your name."

The man stared at her, allowing his eyes to fully scan her face. She wasn't a threat he had to worry about in this town, even if she was trying to make herself out to handle her own shit. "Daryl."

"Daryl," she repeated back, lowering herself back on her heels and letting his name roll around in her mouth.

Once again, they just stared at each other lost in their own thoughts. Sarah was still frustrated at herself, but grateful for Daryl stepping in, even if she wasn't going to admit that. Daryl was feeling slightly uncomfortable with the silence between them and the pack of cigarettes he bought were practically burning a hole in his pants pocket.

"You aren't going to ask me what my name is."

Daryl looked down at her and her big green eyes that seemed to have simmered down quite a bit since the start of the conversation. "Nope. I don' need to."

He turned back around and started walking towards his destination again, but sighed at the crunching of gravel trailing behind him. "What?" she asked his back, with a slight bite in her tone.

Reaching in his jeans, Daryl managed to pull a single smoke out of the pack, placing it gingerly between his lips and feeling up his vest for a light. "Your name is Sarah Allen." He found the liquid flame in the right breast pocket. "It was repeated a coupl' times back there."

That seemed to shut Sarah up, but he could still hear her feet dragging behind him. Deciding that he really didn't want some girl following him back to his dingy motel room if it didn't look like he was going to get lucky, he stopped walking and turned back around while focusing his attention on lighting the cigarette.

Taking a heavy inhale, he looked at Sarah's frame through the smoke. "There somethin' else you need?"

"Actually I'd kill for a smoke."

That caught Daryl off guard enough that he had to pause and really think about where his smokes were again. Sarah did not appear the type of girl to smoke, but then again he saw her in a bar where the owner knew her name and a guy was pissed she wouldn't give it up again to him.

He handed her the cigarette with caution and was stunned when she took his out of his mouth and held it up to her own while inhaling. A couple seconds later and he had his own smoke in his hand and she was waving at him while heading back to the bar.

_Who the hell did this girl think she was?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Rounds**

Daryl let out a heavy sigh, as The Dusty Boot came back into his line of sight. It hadn't even been a full day before his thoughts were begging to be drowned with taste of whiskey.

For a brief moment, Daryl caught himself thinking about his mother and father. Hell, he even found himself thinking about Merle and wondering what he was up to, but that all faded into the background as the scents of stale cigarette smoke and bleach hit him like a truck.

_Dammit Dixon_, his mind started up again. _This ain't the time_.

His thoughts vanished when the door slammed shut behind him. As he approached the bar, he took a brief glance around and noticed that it was early enough in the evening that only the day drinkers seemed to be huddled about in various spots, holding their glasses close. He also noted that most of the fellow alcoholics there were alone, himself included.

With his back towards Daryl, the stout bartender from last night quipped a quick question. "What can I get for you today?"

"Old Grand-Dad, on the rocks," his gruff answer seemed to echo through the quietness of the place.

At his order, the bartender seemed to stiffen from his spot in front of the register where it looked like he was counting the money that was there. With his spine in a straight line, he turned his whole body around gingerly towards Daryl to meet his gaze with wide eyes and pale skin. "It's you."

Daryl didn't know how to respond to that considering that he had only met the man once, if you consider an introduction as making eye contact when handed a drink. He thought back to last night and how he seemed to hold everyone's attention, he realized that maybe this small town had never experienced a real bar fight before.

_That wasn't even the worst of the ones I've been in, _he laughed inwardly to himself.

Instead of high tailing it out of there, Daryl sat in the same bar stool as last night and just stared at the man in front of him, toying if he wanted to play along with this game or not. "I dunno what you mean."

A chubby finger jabbed at him, coming uncomfortably close to his face, but Daryl didn't wince back. "You made a mess of my bar. That young man you hit last night has been coming here as a loyal customer for quite some time and now he is threatening to take business elsewhere."

"That ain't any of my concern."

The bartender huffed and closed his eyes. It looked like he was taking deep and heavy breaths to calm himself down, but it didn't matter to Daryl. He wasn't going anywhere.

Daryl kept his eyes steady as the man opened his eyes and seemed disappointed that he hadn't even budge from the spot he was in. Annoyed, he sighed and huffed out more hot air. "Old Grand-Old, you say?"

The rough looking outsider simply nodded and watched as his drink was sloppy made and thrown down in front of him before the bartender went back to making himself look busy. _Prick, _he thought while taking a heavy swig. Daryl didn't mind though, booze was booze and he would take what he could get, especially because most days it didn't come cheap.

For once in his life, he was actually trying to enjoy the smoothness of his whiskey. He didn't want to down the whole thing and have to wait an hour for the bartender to realize he was on empty and just be hoping that he would leave. Daryl was no way, in hell, heading up north to one of those stupid college bars that someone had mention to him with his first arrived and was looking for the local watering hole.

He seemed to have been so lost in his thoughts about other places to get drunk, that he didn't hear the stool to his left squeak back. "Is this seat taken?"

"Help yerself."

Another swig from his glass and he could hear the stool still squeaking back and forth repeatedly. The occupant seemed to be having trouble getting closer to the counter. Daryl eventually turned to look over and saw a familiar brunette struggling to no ends, and looking beyond pissed off at her situation.

The chuckle escaped his lips before he could even stop himself, earning him a startled look from Sarah and some of The Boot's other patrons. "Strugglin'?"

She huffed, but didn't answer his question. She stopped trying to move the stool and crossed her arms across her chest with her eyes set to glower at him, making her look like a pissed off dwarf in the over elongated chair. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't allow himself to look away, she didn't need the satisfaction of feeling all big and tough. "Wettin' my lips."

"There are other bars, you know? All you have to do is travel farther up north towards the lake and-"

Daryl cut her off. "I ain't going to some college bars."

She smirked and waved at the man behind the counter, motioning him over in their direction. "Aw, is Daryl afraid of conversation with some who has a decent education?"

"I'm talkin' to you, ain't I?" He stated while taking another swig of his whiskey.

She froze, but only for a second before the bartender returned with at least four shots of something clear in hand. He heard her thank him once again to which the man told her that it was never a problem. Daryl didn't have to look to know that he was being watched with heavy eyes.

Daryl turned his attention back to his drink, reminding himself that he was only here for another night and then he wouldn't have to deal with these people, hopefully, ever again. When he brought his glass back to the surface of the bar, he was quite surprised to see two of those clear shots waiting for him.

He heard Sarah wiggle a little more on his left before clearing her throat. Daryl peeked at her from the side and saw that she had turned her whole body in his direction and was staring at him expectantly.

"Um," she cleared her throat again, almost like she was nervous all of the sudden. "I think I owe you an apology."

Now she had Daryl's full attention on her. He could tell that just by turning his own body to meet hers and causing their knees to bump from lack of space, she was even more uncomfortable. Oh, he was going to have fun with this. "Whys that?"

Determination had set into her eyes, but she wasn't looking him head on. It almost looked like she was focusing on the wall behind him. "I was a bitch yesterday," he tried not to choke on his whiskey, earning him a frown in the process. "You.. You helped me when no one else would. I should have thanked you for that, but instead I was angry."

Daryl didn't say anything. He just continued to look at the woman sitting next to him, trying to figure her out. Last night, all her could really make out was that she was petite thing with long, dark hair and quite the attitude to match. Now, he could see that her pout could get her in some serious trouble with the wrong crowd and those eyes of hers were giving away way more than she probably wanted.

When she actually brought her eyes to level with his, Daryl couldn't convey just what she seemed to be pushing through.

Daryl ducked his head and focused at the fact that he could almost see the bottom of his glass and didn't even have the slightest buzz. "I don't need no thanking."

He heard her sigh. "Yes, you do. I shouldn't take my family issues out on you."

"Family issues?"

Daryl looked back up at her and noted that she had one of the shot glasses in her hand and was motioning for him to pick up the one she had placed by him. "First, I need something in my system."

He nodded to that and picked up the small glass. Daryl was never one for shots, they always fucked him over in the end, but he couldn't say no to free alcohol. Must be a family trait. The miniature cup felt cool and smooth in his calloused hands as he brought it to his lips. He tossed the drink back without any hesitation.

As the burning followed, he noted that Sarah had barely even batted an eye with her round. Daryl would be lying if he didn't say he was impressed. "So, problems back home?" He pushed.

With an excessive breath, Sarah launched into a rant about how her parents just couldn't seem to accept the fact that going into a medical field wasn't something that she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She explained that her passion involved running around the world and capturing it through a small lens. Her voice cracked here and there, but especially when she spoke about how angry her father had gotten at her news.

"I just want to wake up every morning and be happy with what I do," she whispered picking up the fourth or fifth shot glass that the bartender had brought over and bringing it to her lips.

Daryl nodded in agreement. He would never be able to understand that parents actually wanted their children to go off to school and make something of themselves, but he could at least agree that they could be real shitheads when it wasn't exactly how they wanted things to go.

He watched as she took the shot with ease. "Family ain't always the best."

Sarah looked over at him and he noted that her eyes were starting to look a bit clouded over. "Daryl?"

At his name on her lips, he sat a bit taller. "Yeah?"

"Do you have to go?"

The question through him off and he knew that it was just the liquor talking, but against his better judgment he answered her. "Got nowhere to go."

She smiled at his answer before turning back around and waving her hand up in the air. "Good, because I'm ordering another round."

* * *

**Author Note: **Hope you are enjoying it so far! Can't wait to hear what you think about everything so far. Even though it's not much, things will really be picking up within the next couple of chapters. Expect another update sometime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Pancakes or Waffles**

The wind was howling through her ears at a frightening speed as the cracks in the sidewalk started to double in numbers with every forced inhale. She knew she could scream for help, but there would be no use, in only a matter of seconds she would be nothing more than a human puddle against the concrete.

She closed her eyes just as the ground came plummeting into her.

With a heavy jolt of her body, Sarah awoke from her dream breathing heavy with black specs dancing across her eyes. She blinked a couple of times allowing them to clear away and for her to get her breathing level again. After a couple deep breaths, she could feel her heart no longer pounding through her ears and the off white ceiling was clear as day above her.

She sighed happily and rolled over to her right, pulling the pillow closer to her and inhaling. Sarah was expecting the smell of fresh cotton with a hint of lavender to soothe her back to sleep, but was thrown in a hearty coughing fit at the fact that something must have died on the exact spot where her nose was resting.

As the coughing resided, Sarah thought about how stiff the sheets felt wrapped around her and she could hear a faint knocking of something hitting a wall, maybe just a couple feet away from where she lay.

This wasn't a familiar bed.

She shot up quickly at her realization, "Shit!"

Briefly, the black dots returned as her head spun at the speed of her movement. Sarah closed her eyes again, but noted at how uncomfortable she felt in this bed aside from the starched sheets shuffling around her. When she felt like her brain was done swirling in the whirlpool that was her skull, she opened her eyes and saw that she was still wearing her jeans from yesterday and the only articles of clothing that seemed to be missing were her shirt and a sock.

_Did I check myself into that motel down the street? _She thought to herself, while gingerly getting off the spring ridden bed and glancing around the floor around her.

At the foot of the bed, she found her sock, but her shirt was what was really needed for her to get out of wherever the hell she was. Seeing as it wasn't anywhere between the bed and the wall she had woken up next to, she turned her attention to the other side of the room.

The moment she whipped around, her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the strange man named Daryl passed out on a couch, only half clothed. Sarah cursed silently to herself, saying she really needed to stop going home with strange men.

She glanced about in his general direction, zeroing in on something that was a deep blue and limp on the ground. As fate would have it, Sarah's shirt was balled up on the floor a mere inch or two from where Daryl was quietly breathing.

She sighed and thought about how to approach this. There were one of two ways that Sarah could handle the situation. She could be an adult and wake up Daryl, telling him she was going to take off and leave it at that or sneak over to grab her shirt, crawl over to the door and be done. She could even avoid her bar for a while to make sure that he wouldn't come by when she was there.

Sarah went with option number two.

As she stealthy maneuvered her way around the room, trying to avoid bumping into a coffee table or tripping over a muddy combat boot seeing as the room was still spinning with her hangover, she focused on Daryl's breathing. His chest rose and fell with her carefully timed steps, she thought about how she needed to get food in her soon or else this hangover would surely be one of the worst in a while.

She continued to watch Daryl's breathing intently, not allowing her eyes (or her thoughts) to wander any more than they should. All she wanted to do was get out of there, but the closer she got to her valuable piece of clothing, the more she noticed the intense amount of stubble running over his jaw line or how his chest was more sculpted than she would have thought.

The silky fabric of his shirt grazed her outstretched fingers causing her to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She quickly put her arms through the allotted holes and made sure to button herself enough that she did not look guilty as she scurried her way out of the dingy room. The only thing she kept telling herself was this was not going to help her image at _The Boot_.

_Well I made my peace with him, _she thought while tiptoeing towards the door. _I don't think we really need to drag this relationship any farther. _

Once she reached the door, Sarah grabbed ahold of the doorknob like she was a man who risked falling off the tilted boat. The knob clicked as she twisted it to the right, but just as quickly as she thought she was in the clear a voice echoed through the silence.

"Where do ya think yer going?"

Something about the tone in his voice instinctively made Sarah look at Daryl, who was now sitting up rigidly straight with wide eyes.

She gulped, suddenly nervous and very embarrassed. "Oh.. Well you were sleeping.. and I decided it was time for me to leave."

"Why?" He asked tightly, before swinging his feet over to touch the ground. Sarah noted that when he ran his hand over his face that he looked a little too wound up for someone who is just awakening.

She didn't realize that she hadn't answered his question until he turned to look at her. His eyes seemed to scan her over from top to bottom causing her to break her own stare. "Well like I said, you were sleeping and I have places I need to be."

"No ya don't."

That flush of anger she got in the pit of her stomach started to bubble up. "Excuse me?"

Daryl smirked before turning his attention to the mess of a room. "Damn, ya were really fuckin' drunk."

Sarah bit her lip to the point that she could almost taste blood. She knew she could still walk out at any point, but instead she watched as Daryl shuffled along the floor, pushing things aside with his feet until he found a black t-shirt and put it on. He walked back over to the couch and picked up those disgusting boots as he went and sat back down to put them on.

He stood up after tying the last knot and strolled over to Sarah like someone would to an old friend. She was still fuming about his comment when he reached her, but she was caught off guard when he placed a hand on the wall behind her; caging her in.

Without a thought, Sarah took a heady breath that got caught in her throat. Daryl still smelled like last night's whiskey and stale cigarettes. She was trying to ignore how close his cheek was to hers. As he pulled away, she saw that he was holding that familiar vest in his hand.

Sarah wanted to close her eyes in unwanted embarrassment, but that little smirk that Daryl was wearing told her that he knew just want she was thinking.

After he shrugged on his vest, he zeroed in on her. "Know any places for breakfast?"

Sarah clicked the doorknob again, but this time swung it open all the way. Using her foot as the door stopper, she inhaled the fresh Georgia air and thought for a moment.

"Pancakes or waffles?" Daryl looked at her like she had grown a second head, which made her roll her eyes. "Which one do you prefer?"

"Ah," he blinked slowly. "Waffles."

Taking a step outside and turning towards him, she motioned Daryl to follow. "I know just the place then."

Sarah knew of a lot of really good places to get food in her hometown, but it was nothing like the city of New York. That was the one place that had anything and everything you could think of and almost all of it was within walking distance of where she lived on campus. She was already counting down the days until she could return to the one place that actually felt like home to her.

Glancing behind her to make sure that she didn't lose Daryl along the twisted path, she continued until she saw the cracked brick building in her line of sight. They had walked a little over half a mile to this local chicken and waffle joint that almost looked like it had been started in an abandoned automobile garage.

At the sound of the door dinging when the duo passed through the threshold, the waitress smiled and nodded to Sarah before picking up two menus and telling them to follow her. Even though Daryl hadn't formally asked Sarah to have breakfast with him, he wasn't exactly turning her away either.

Daryl had barely spoken at all during the walk over. It seemed as though he was listening to his surroundings and looking off into the heavily wooded area around them. It made Sarah question what he did for a living. Maybe he was a hunter or some sort?

Once they were seated and had the menus placed delicately in front of them, Sarah glanced at her company once again, except this time he was completely focused on her.

"Start ya off with something to drink?" The petite redheaded waitress asked a little too excitedly.

Daryl's hard eyes held Sarah's. "Two coffees."

When their server walked away, he let out a short and unexpected laugh that almost caused Sarah to jump out of her seat. He kept quietly chucking to himself before she asked what was so humorous.

His eyes were soft when he looked over at her this time. "Ya take yer whiskey straight and neat without even a flinch, but the thought of coffee gets you cringin'."

Sarah barely had a moment to open her mouth before their hot sludge was placed before them and they were asked if they knew what they wanted to order. Daryl got something that sounded like it could give you a great conversation with death and Sarah settled on a single chocolate chip waffle.

An uneasy silence fell over them quickly. Sarah thought about what she was doing right now and decided that she must still be drunk to be having breakfast with a man she still hardly knew.

Without another second, her mouth blurted out what she had been dying to ask the whole walk over. "Did anything happen last night?"

Daryl stopped picking at his fingernails and took a deep breath while placing his gaze at the window to his left, making Sarah squirm uncomfortably in her seat before he spoke. "Do ya think somethin' did?"

"I.. I don't even remember leaving the bar."

He smirked again, but still didn't look at her. "Well you were too drunk to even stand up on your own." Sarah felt her face heat with embarrassment. "You kept saying that you were fine, but I decided you should just sleep it off and brought you back to my room."

Although she was sure this wouldn't help how she felt, Sarah knew that she had to ask another question. "Why was my shirt off then?"

She could have sworn that Daryl turned a little pink, but their conversation was momentarily interrupted by their breakfast settling in front of them.

A brief thank you was exchanged, but Sarah didn't even want to think about her waffle until she got an answer. Daryl had already begun to munch on a very crispy piece of bacon before his focus turned back to her.

With food still in his mouth, he let out a huge sigh. "No. Nothin' happened," he swallowed loudly. "I was on the bed and ya were supposed to stay on the couch."

It didn't take much for Sarah to put two and two together and realize that she had tried to get naked and crawl into bed with him. If she wasn't so borderline hungover, she would have started banging her head into the table. Maybe someone would label her as crazy and just keep her away from everything that was a bad choice.

Daryl watched as the girl across from him started intently at her plate. He thought back to last night unwillingly. He thought about how she giggled when he picked her up to carry her the rest of the way to the motel or how her bare skin burned against his.

They both sat in their thoughts for another couple of minutes before Sarah looked up and stated simply. "At least my bra is cute."

Daryl chuckled at a bit at that and took another look around the restaurant while chewing a bite of sausage and smiled.

They were the most unusual looking pair in the whole place.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five – Backlash

Sarah just felt like she needed a good shower. Something that could scrub away the booze and cigarette scum that had built up in her pores over the last few days.

After her little "slumber party" with Daryl, they had parted ways in the restaurant parking lot with some awkward shuffling of the feet and a much mumbled goodbye. She had noted all throughout breakfast that he wasn't much of a talker, but an observer. She kept feeling his eyes on her whenever she would shift in her seat a little bit. That was almost two whole days ago and Sarah had not seen him anywhere near The Boot, so she chalked it up that he had finally decided to skip town.

Sighing at her thought process, the girl pushed some hair behind her ear as she continued to walk up the familiar street. Sarah knew better than to glance around at the noisy neighbors who were bound to be poking their heads out from behind their frilly white curtains and watch as the Allen's daughter pulled her infamous walk of shame.

She hated this fucking town and all the people in it.

Her house came into view, but didn't pause at the end of the driveway like most passersby's do to take in the beauty of it all. Sarah chose never to get attached to this house because she knew it wasn't really her home. It was not a place that she look forward to coming to after being away for the semester or a safety net for when life got tough, but instead was a place where her parents stored all their shiny, perfect objects for the world to see.

Just as her hand reached for the handle, the door flung open causing a cool air-conditioned breeze to roll over her.

"It's about time you came home," came her father's steely voice. When she looked up, she didn't see the concerned parental eyes like one would expect, but found her father's brown eyes glaring at her. "We thought for sure you got piss drunk and passed out in a ditch somewhere."

Sarah scoffed at the absurdness of his words. She tried and failed to move pass his tall frame. Deciding she was going to be stuck in limbo until further noticed, she crossed her arms and met her father's gaze, "Nope, that was last week."

His eyes bugged out a bit, causing her to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid laughing.

"That is not the way you talk to your father, young lady," her mother's voice strained as she practically floated into the foyer, joining the little party they were having.

For a brief moment, Sarah was concerned that their front door was still wide open. Anyone who was on her street could probably hear everything that was going on, but then she decided she just really didn't care anymore. Hell, half the town thought she was the devil child; always causing trouble when her parents did nothing, but 'their best.'

Now she had both of her parents in front of her, looking down on her and waiting for whatever answer she was going to give. Sarah decided against telling them about the last couple of days, but didn't break away from their eye contact.

"Well?" her mother encouraged.

Sarah looked her mother up and down, taking in the fact that she looked completely done up with her fresh face of makeup and well dressed in tan slacks and a white button down. She was currently fiddling with the backing on one of her earrings, a nervous tick that seemed to have to spread to her daughter when she was stressed about something.

Other than her hands not being still, Sarah would have never guessed that her parents were worried about where she had been.

Realizing that she wasn't going to be get any farther in the house unless she gave the parentals something, she let out a defeated sigh while focusing on the staircase behind them. "I was out with friends."

The sharp bark of her father's laughter caused her to jump. "What friends?"

That comment stung somewhere deep inside Sarah. Growing up in this lifestyle had been hard for her, people were always pushing their kids to be friends with her, but it was never anything genuine. She preferred most times to sit alone drawing or reading about a world that didn't exist.

Until her best friend Maeve came along her senior year of high school. The duo just clicked from the moment they almost head butted each other in gym class. She was spunky, gangly girl at about five feet and eleven inches and changed her hair color every other week and insisted that stilettos were meant to be everyday shoes. Her parents, of course, didn't approve of her new found friend because she didn't come from the same background as them. Maeve's friendship wouldn't benefit them in anyway, so they chose to ignore it all together.

Her father took her silence as a reason to continue to talk. "We know that half the kids in this town are off traveling the world looking for jobs and I have it on good authority that you've been seen at the dirty little bar with some red neck."

Did she mention how much she truly and utterly despised this town?

Groaning, she brought the heels of her hands to her eyes and pushed inward. "It doesn't matter who I was with and why. Shouldn't you just be happy that I am alive and not cracked out somewhere?"

Now her mother brought her icy blue eyes to meet hers, "Darlin'," the corner of her mouth twisted downwards a bit. "I'm honestly surprised that we haven't gotten a call that you were dead."

Sarah gawked at her mother. Like full on, mouth open so wide a whole swarm of flies could fly up in there and she wouldn't even notice. "Um, excuse me?"

"It's true," her father continued. "With the lifestyle you have been living for the last couple of years, we really just wouldn't be surprised to find you in jail or like I said earlier, passed out in a ditch somewhere."

Without any warning, her eyes welled up with tears. She tried to fight them back, not allowing the couple in front of her to see who much their words effected them, but it was too late. Tears were streaming down her face that a faucet.

_I can't take this anymore,_ she thought while barreling through them and made her way up the staircase.

Through the whirlwind of her thoughts, she could barely make out her parents shouting at her to stop overreacting and be ready in her best attire of the charity dinner they were heading to tonight. They continue to converse amongst themselves, but she blocked it out when she started grabbing things from around her room.

Grabbing a suitcase, she tossed whatever she had collected into it and then turned to pick up her camera that sat on her nightstand. In her haste, she remember to grab a string of wires to have chargers for all her crap before turning back towards the bedroom door.

Sarah closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten. When she opened them again, she wiped away the wet trails that ran down her cheeks. She knew just what to do for the remainder of her summer vacation. Making sure she had the number set up to dial as soon as she needed it, Sarah stepped back out into the war zone with her suitcase in hand.

Seeing that her parents were no longer guarding the front door and off in the kitchen talking as if nothing had happened, she made her way for the front door. Sarah was trying to be as quiet as possible, knowing that if her parents caught her leaving, it would be more things that she wasn't sure she could handle right now.

Much more smoothly than the other day, the door opened and closed with ease and before Sarah knew it, she was outside in the fresh air once again. This time, though, she allowed herself to glance around and sure enough, there were a handle of neighbors glancing up the hill at her.

A normal person would have avoided eye contact out of embarrassment, but not Sarah. Instead, she made sure to aim her middle finger in the direction of anyone who was staring.

Smirking to herself at the disgusted looks of her neighbors, she focused back to her phone and pressed send. The phone rang about three times before the answering machine picked up.

"_Hey it's Maeve. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message.. I may or may not text you back. Ciao!" _

Sarah started walking towards a familiar dirt road, her suitcase's wheels kicking up dirt as her neighborhood got smaller and smaller in the horizon. "Hey M, it's me. I need a place to stay, but I think you said you were going to be with Tristan today. Just gave me a call whenever you get this."

At the click of her phone, she zoned in on her surroundings. The lush green of the woods thickened the closer to got to the lake, even the insects and all furry animals seemed to quiet down the closer she got to her location. It was like the world knew that she needed some peace and quiet for a couple moments.

When the lake came into view, Sarah took a couple large steps closer and collapsed to the ground in nothing but pure exhaustion. She closed her eyes like before, but this time didn't count, instead she just made herself focus on her breathing.

"Everything is going to be okay," she spoke aloud to herself.

But she wasn't sure if she believed it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Wandering **

Daryl found himself roaming through the woods again. Unlike the many times he had done this before, he could care less about the four legged meals that were scampering about all around him.

This time he was doing it to get his thoughts in the right place.

Something about nature always calmed him. He would never admit it to anyone in fear of sounding like the biggest wuss to date, but he loved when the wind picked up slightly and would wash over him in a soothing cool against the humid Georgia air. His favorite thing about these woods, however, was how quickly he could get lost and know that no one would come close to finding him anytime soon.

_Come on, _he shook his head, racking his brain for some sort of answer.

Earlier that morning, Daryl sat on the seat of his bike with the intentions of leaving just before the sun rose. He sat for what was close to two hours, and long after the sun peaked through the scattered clouds, before he realized that his fingers refused to start his bike even after his brain tried to reason with them.

Which is why he was wandering aimlessly through thick fields of green grass and brushing back low hanging branches while trying to think about what could be holding him back. Hell, he had been through several cities throughout Georgia, even had a couple girlfriends here and there, but nothing ever tied him down. Not even with that scare that Candy had.

"Candy" he whispered to himself and smirked and the memory of how her body would rub against him while other suitors watched from a respected distance.

He got a bit of a thrill for those four weeks knowing how many men wanted her, but she always took him home. Sure, he really only used the girl for a brief fling and a temporary roof over his head, but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate her. And by the way he had her talking by the end of their nights, there wasn't a bone in his body that doubted she thought anything else of him. In a way, they were using each other while he was there.

So if Daryl could up and leave a girl that thought she was carrying a piece of him, what was keeping him in the dingy town Marietta? His mind was still at a blank.

As he continued to roam through the woods with no particular destination, he noticed how the grass was getting thicker and the air a bit heavier in the northern direction. Daryl knew that it meant water was close by, probably a river or a lake. Water meant that he could sit by the edge and watch as the fish created little ripples upon the surface without damaging his body with more alcohol.

Still keeping in the direction he was going, Daryl noticed that a small pathway had started to form at his feet, almost as if someone had walked this way several times before. Sure enough, a couple more minutes passed while following the trail and he came into a clearing where a large lake was at center stage.

To his surprise, he wasn't alone.

The girl from the bar earlier in the week was sitting at the edge of the water, cradling something small in her hands. Trying not to make himself known, Daryl sunk back into one of the closer trees looking around some more in the hopes that weren't any other people roaming around nearby. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be seen any time today.

In his quick scan of the area, he also noticed that Sarah had a rather small suitcase bursting at the seams behind her and she kept sniffling before running a hand across her face. If Daryl had to guess, it didn't look like her day was going all that well.

Now he was stuck with an even bigger dilemma than the one he was trying to sort out earlier. Should he go over there and see if Sarah was alright or just keep heading along some other path?

While more thoughts swirled around his head, he continued to watch the brunette with the utmost curiosity. Daryl watched as the she brought the small thing she was cradling to her face before he heard a click of sorts.

Another couple of clicks, some shifting of weight and Sara had turned herself in the direction that Daryl was hiding without him even realizing it. She seemed to stare directly at him before turning back around towards the lake and settling herself back in the position that he found her in.

Just as he had made up his mind to head out of the woods, she spoke, "I know you are there."

Something in the pit of his stomach dropped a bit, but none the less Daryl let out a breath before stepping out from the shadows. Sarah seemed to turn slightly to look at him once again before a look close to embarrassment crossed over her cheeks.

"Oh," she half whispered at him. "I didn't think it was going to be you."

Daryl took that as another way of telling someone to fuck off and turned back towards the pathway he had come. He was actually pretty heated by her words which was causing him to clench and unclench his fists.

Another click came from behind him. "Daryl!" She called out to him.

He stopped walking on instinct, but he fists were still clenched at his sides. "What?"

Sarah seemed just as surprised at his tone of voice as he was, but she seemed to adjust accordingly by standing up with her chin held high. "I was just going to say that you could stay and, um, hang out if you wanted to."

"Hang out?" He scoffed a bit while turning around.

That caused Sarah to roll her eyes and mumble something under her breath to herself. "Yeah, you know, what people usually like to do when they are in each other's company."

Her snarky words only caused Daryl to get a tad more frustrated at the situation, but that didn't last too long when he actually took a look at Sarah's tear stained face. She looked like she had been crying for quite a while and her jeans were pretty stained for the mud closest to the water. The item from a moment ago was still clutched tightly between her fingers, Daryl glanced at it only quick enough to realize that it was one of those fancy cameras people like to run around with.

"Anythin' the matter?" Daryl asked without a second thought, the anger from earlier fading.

Sarah couldn't hide her surprise on her face at Daryl's question. Part of him really wished he hadn't turned around and kept walking back towards his bike, then he remembered the first night they met and how she just kept harassing him.

The urge to fight a fleeting smile was more difficult than he thought.

"You don't need to hear about my problems." Seemed to be the only answer Sarah could come up with before glancing at her mud stained shoes. "So, um, do you want to hang out for a bit?"

Daryl shrugged and walked over to where Sarah was studying the contents around her feet. He watched intently out of the corner of his eye how her breath hitched slightly when he was standing near her and that his own breathing slowed down to match hers. He felt Sarah's eyes on him as well, like she was trying to read him in the same way he was.

A moment of silence passed through them before Sarah took a deep breath and turned back towards the lake. "I can't believe you are still here."

"You invited me to hang out, didn' ya?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him, before crouching back towards the ground and positioning herself to sit Indian style like before. "That's not what I meant."

Daryl followed her lead, only he found it much more difficult to cross his legs over each other as she had, so he resorted to sprawling them in front of him. "Ya mean, why am I still in town?"

Sarah nodded in response while twisting herself with that camera of hers away from Daryl. He heard a series of quick clicks and snaps before she fully turned her attention on him.

"I don' really know," he replied being completely honest.

"What do you mean?"

Daryl sighed quietly to himself, still just as frustrated as this morning. "I really don' know. I tried to leave this mornin', but couldn' get my bike to start."

"Maybe you just need someone to look at it. My best friend's boyfriend is a fantastic auto mechanic," she continued. "That is if you need a suggestion."

Daryl had been watching Sarah intently while she spoke about some guy named Tristian. He noticed that she spoke more excitedly when she was talking about something that she liked. When she was focusing on her camera or getting lost in her thoughts, she tended to chew her bottom lip.

"Yeah, it migh' just need a tweak." He agreed at last.

When Sarah looked up from a blade of grass at Daryl, she smiled something genuine before launching into a detailed description about her friend Maeve coming to get her. The more she talked, the more she seemed to relax.

The more she relaxed, the more Daryl started to realize just how fucked he was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Thank You**

She felt like she had been talking for an eternity before realizing that Daryl was just kind of staring at her. The sudden realization instantly made her mouth clamp shut and an unsettling warmth begin to spread across her cheeks again.

"So you're friend Maeve is comin' to get you?" Daryl seemed to bow his head in an encouraging gesture for her to continue the thought she had cut off. "Where she at then?"

That sad feeling tried wedging its way back into Sarah's chest, but she took a deep breath seeming to break up the heaviness of everything that has happened in the last couple of hours. "I completely forgot that she was seeing her boyfriend tonight. It's their anniversary or something."

Daryl nodded his head as he honed in on something in the center of the lake they were still sitting around. She noticed that the stars were beginning to slowly peak out from behind the clouds, meaning the temperatures were also going to drop soon and being the most brilliant person in the world, she had completely forgotten to pack something warm.

"Why are ya out here?"

Daryl's tone was much lighter than it normally was when he spoke with her, or really anyone she had seen him interact with – which was very few. Regardless, it took Sarah a moment longer to ponder over the question and whether or not she wanted to answer honestly.

"You can't see the stars in New York City, so I figured tonight would be the perfect night to take in some of the Georgia skyline." Silence was all she was given after that little lie. In fact, Daryl was so quiet, Sarah had to steal a glance to her right just to make sure that he was still sitting next to her. "I could ask you the same question, you know?"

A grunt was Daryl's answer before more of the sun disappeared between the trees. "Ya already asked me why I was still here."

Sarah felt the tickle of a cool breeze run over her arms and brought her knees up to her chest, something she hadn't done since she was a child hiding in the closet from her parents. "I asked it in a broader term, you never actually told me what you were doing wondering around in the woods."

"Broader term?" Even with the diming light, Sarah could see that Daryl scrunched his nose up like the word tasted like earwax in his mouth. "Must be nice."

"What?"

"To be tha' smart of an ass."

Sarah choke on the air around her briefly. "Excuse me?"

Daryl didn't respond once again which she couldn't quite figure out was his way of refraining from being rude or his way of just talking in general. She counted to ten in her head and still hadn't heard any sort of noise that could explain that sort of response.

"Are you making fun of my vocabulary?" She asked, unsure of whether to be offended or not by him calling her an ass of sorts. "Because... because I'm not actually sure about how I feel that."

That time she heard a small chuckle out of him, but it was shortly followed by a sigh. "Nah, that big ol' college education of yours."

Now Sarah was a bit more confused than when she started. When she glanced over at Daryl, the sun was completely tucked away for the night and the moon had yet to make its appearance; so she couldn't see him at all. "My college education must be nice?"

"Yeah."

She thought about the last couple of interactions she had ever had with Daryl. She remembered when she first saw him at _The Dusty Boot_ how he was hunched over his drink like the very essence of his being depended on it. He didn't seem to talk to anyone around him, just kind of gave off that vibe that he was not to be fucked with.

He seemed to thrive on that uneducated biker, badass look that he gave everyone. He did give off an uneducated aurora, but that didn't bother her.

The two of them just kept finding each other to have these very odd heart-to-heart moments.

Sarah could still barely remember the night she got so drunk that she had to be carried into his motel room, which even just the thought, embarrassed her more than she would ever admit. But a couple sentences stood out in her blur of conscious about Daryl's brother and father and something about why he was on the run.

"Um, well I guess being a smartass is better than what my parents think of me."

She found herself actually hoping her wouldn't stay his usual silent self, and after what felt like the longest minute – Daryl cleared his throat. "Do ya want to talk about it?"

"Only if you spare a smoke."

Daryl's weight shuffled next to her as he turned and she felt his hand find hers in the dark to practically shove the nicotine stick in her hand. Just when she was about to ask for a light, Daryl's face appeared across from her in the glow of his match.

From the look he was giving her, she had to fight the urge to laugh at how pissed he appeared to be sharing his cigarettes. "This better be a damn good story," he grumbled darkly.

With a heavy drag, the match's flame went out and the pair found themselves in the dark once again, waiting for the night's sun to come out from the clouds. "You're the one that asked if I wanted to talk."

"I wasn' expectin' to lose a smoke in the process," he muttered before following her lead and lighting his own smoke in one swift motion.

Barely waiting a beat, Sarah launch into what had happened which felt like it could have been a whole day and a half behind her, but as she told the story of her parents ganging up on her – she realized it had really only been two hours ago. Daryl stayed quiet for the most part, occasionally she would see the tip of his cigarette glow as her took a drag, but other than that he just listened.

"And Maeve didn't answer her phone, so I came to my favorite place in this god forsaken state."

At that point, Daryl had reached into his vest and pulled out a second smoke and was about halfway through it before offering her another; this time much less begrudgingly. "What were ya doin' before I found ya?"

Instinctively, Sarah reached to touch the camera that hung heavy around her neck. "Taking pictures. Whenever I feel down – I try and find the positive in my life. And since this is a happy place for me, I figured documenting pieces of it won't make me feel like I'm missing something when I never come back."

That was not something Sarah had ever really admitted to someone before. She had never really admitted out loud how much her photography and painting made her feel like she could find the beauty in her own life, let alone the rest of the world.

"So you're runnin'?"

The moon was finally able to escape from an army of clouds. The sudden brightness reflecting off the lake cause Sarah to have to look away from her point of focus in the water only to see that Daryl was, once again, watching her closely.

Her forehead crinkled with confusion, "Running from what?"

His lips parted slightly as he brought his smoke to his lips to inhale, but his eyes didn't leave Sarah's face. At the exhale he spoke again, "Yourself."

That hit heavy on her chest, and for a second Sarah forgot how to breathe properly. Why was this man who she still knew so little about, make so much sense of her in only a handful days that they had bumped into each other?

Daryl seemed to take her silence as a sort of acceptance. He turned his attention towards the sky and took another deep drag blowing the smoke cloud up into the air to get lost in the stars. "That's why I'm here."

Just as Sarah was able to catch her breath again and inquire more about him, a loud non-natural noise echoed through the darkness causing her to jump in her sitting position. Fishing through the front pocket of her bag behind her, she located her phone and flipped open the screen.

"Hello?"

_"I am sooooooooooo sorry I missed you're call earlier." _

Daryl seemed to cock an eyebrow on the loud, excited voice coming from the other side of the phone and protectively Sarah leaned to her other side before speaking again. "Oh, um, don't worry about it. I know you are busy tonight."

_"Not too busy to come and get you. Are you still at the lake?" _

"Yeah."

A couple more minutes and Maeve had told her repeatedly over and over again just how sorry she was about not getting Sarah's call. When Sarah finally had convinced her that it was completely okay, she said that she would be arriving at The Boot in the next five minutes and that they should meet there.

And with that, it looked like Sarah's little therapy session with Daryl was over.

Starting to stand up a bit slower than needed, Sarah spoke to the shadow on her right. _"_I have to go meet up with my friend now."

Daryl nodded in the moonlight, still focusing on the lake before him. "I figured."

"If you want, we can give you a ride back to your bike."

She saw him shrug his shoulder before getting on his feet himself and flicking his filter into the grass. "Nah, I think I still need some fresh air."

Sarah accepted his answer, figuring that he was going to turn down the gesture anyway. After placing her bag comfortable on her shoulders, she turned back in to face him and cleared her throat. "Um, thank you."

Daryl's presence seem to become more pronounced in the dark. "Ain't nothin' to thank me for."

Already just emotionally and physically done with the day, Sarah did not feel like explaining her reasons for thanking him. She could save that for another day. Before her thoughts even finished, she found her mouth blurting out a request. "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

Instantly that irritating warmth was back from earlier, she was never more thankful for the darkness of this town as she waited silently for an answer. She tried to focused on her shoes in the darkness, but instead found herself searching for Daryl's boots before her.

She saw him light another cigarette across from where she was standing, "Yeah."

Quickly, they agreed on where to meet, which was the motel room because Sarah knew exactly where that was, and they settled on a good time for them. She didn't know what the hell they were going to do tomorrow, but all she knew was that something in her was craving something about him.

She just couldn't put her finger on it.


End file.
